Bare Metals

Bare Metals Overview

Metals are a class of inorganic crystalline materials composed of either a single element or a blend called an alloy. Common metals and metal alloys include: aluminum, copper, nickel, steel, brass, silver, and titanium. Bare metals are most readily processed using a 1.06 micron fiber laser with some metals also absorbing, to a lesser extent, a 10.6 or 9.3 micron CO2 laser wavelength. Laser marking of metals is most easily achieved using a 1.06 micron fiber laser to heat the surface, causing oxidation in ambient air to form a permanent mark. Additional processes can also be used on some metals to roughen the surface, creating a light mark. Laser engraving of metals is performed with a fiber laser with repeated passes used to achieve increasingly greater depth. Laser engraving in metal with a fiber laser is typically rough and oxidized and can range from lighter to darker in appearance depending upon the material processed. Laser cutting of metals with a fiber laser is possible. Laser marking of ferrous metals (those containing iron) and titanium is also feasible with either a 10.6 or 9.3 micron CO2 laser and an HPDFO™ (High Power Density Focusing Optic) lens. The high power density of the lens allows the less efficiently absorbed CO2 laser energy to heat the surface of the metal, causing oxidation in ambient air to form a permanent mark.